I first discovered these traps a couple of years ago at a local retailer. We had just purchased a new home in a neighborhood that was still under heavy construction with new homes being built. At the time, we did have a pest control company under contract to come out every month and set bait traps outside. Our exterminator informed us that due to the constant construction in the neighborhood, the mice from the adjacent fields were being stirred up and looking for new places to go. So, I guess they loved the idea of my new, quiet home. The exterminator's bait traps along the outside of my home were fine. I noticed less and less mice over the next few months. However, the inside of our home soon became a refuge for them too. Now, this is where I have to tell you that an exterminator is pointless (as far as indoor mice go anyway). The company offered to set bait traps INSIDE my house. Not knowing any better, I let them. A week or two went by and I noticed the house just stunk when I'd get home after a long day. I had come to find out that the mice were eating the poison, then running off and dropping dead. I had to walk around with my nose on high alert to find the dead ones, which were the source of the smell in my home. Disgusting and unsanitary! My dog could have easily found any one of them and gotten sick or poisoned from messing with it if I hadn't found it first. I ceased use of the poison indoors and searched a few other alternatives. Here's my take: Glue traps: too many cons for me. My kids or dog could wander into these and get hurt. I also hated the idea of having to listen to the mice die (how cruel!) Standard wooden traps: Again, children and pets made these a no-go for me. Besides the fact that I really, really didn't want to see the dead mice anyway, if I could avoid it. Humane "catch and release": Great in theory, but doesn't get rid of the problem. I'd catch them and release them, catch them and release them and on and on. It seemed to be a cycle that never ended. I liked the humane aspect of this concept, but it wasn't practical for my family. My kids even started to get excited when we'd catch them and think they were pets and start naming them "Mickey", "Minnie", etc LOL. Other brands of covered traps: Ah, This is what I needed! Pet and child safe, instant death to the mice, the covered aspect means I don't have to actually see the dead creature. YES! So this type of trap has been my ultimate solution. Now I've tried every single one currently listed on Amazon. Some I purchased from major retailers, some from online shopping. All have had varying degrees of success for me in terms of actually catching mice. But they ALL have one downfall that makes this trap far superior. They are not reusable while THIS ONE IS! I'll admit, I did reuse some of the other covered brands of traps I've bought in an effort to save money, even though they weren't marketed this way. But ultimately, no other covered trap has been as successful at catching mice, or as durable, as this one here! I bought 2 initially 4 yrs ago from a local store and just now, after 4 yrs of constant use, had to toss them due to breakage. I just ordered 6 more. Seem like a lot for a 2200 sq ft house? Ha! Let's be honest, for every one mouse you see, you can bet you have 10 more. And for every week you go about ignoring those droppings or sounds at night, you're giving them time to reproduce and soon, you could end up with a full blown infestation. I learned my lesson the hard way with lots of wasted time and money. These traps are the best bet for the average home owner to get the job done properly, quickly, safely and all while being cost effective.
